Services
Two products. One goal.
Figure out what's worth building and exactly what to build first. Everything DLC does starts here.
Step one
Discovery Sprint
3–5 weeks
$2,500
Fixed fee
Before anything else, we need to understand what you're actually trying to build and whether the assumptions underneath it hold up. In 2-3 days we do the desk work and stakeholder interviews that most founders skip. You walk away with a clear brief, surfaced risks, and a straight answer on whether this idea is ready to move forward.
Stakeholder interviews
Recorded, transcribed, 1+ hour sessions with everyone involved. We dig into the vision, assumptions, constraints, and definition of success. The we flag what needs deeper investigation.
Audience mapping
Who is the user? Who is the buyer? They're not always the same person and confusing them is one of the most expensive early mistakes. We map both explicitly so every future decision is grounded in the right foundation.
Market & opportunity research
Is this a real problem? Is there signal that people want this? Is the space too commoditized and if so, is there an adjacent opportunity worth pursuing instead? We look for where the real unmet need lives.
IP & acquisition lens
What proprietary value could this product create? Who in the market might want to absorb or partner with it? This is not a valuation exercise. It's an early read on strategic positioning most product teams never consider.
Technology & risk scan
What tools or AI capabilities could give this product a unique advantage? What compliance or regulatory risks need to be understood before building? Regulated industries like healthcare and fintech get flagged early.
Findings Report Part 1
Surfaced assumptions. Flagged risks. Market context. Audience clarity. A clear brief that tells you exactly what questions need answering before you commit to building anything.
Most Discovery Sprints convert to Product Strategy. A few don't, and that's the point. Better to know now.
The full engagement
Product Strategy
3–5 weeks
$18K–$28K
Fixed fee · milestone payments 40% to start · 30% midpoint · 30% completion
The Discovery Sprint surfaces what needs answering. Product Strategy goes and finds the answers, from real users, in real conversations, and turns them into a buildable plan. This is where the real work happens.
User recruitment & interviews
Finding and recruiting the right people to talk to isn't easy. We handle it. Recorded, transcribed interviews with real potential users. We will not make assumptions about them. Key findings documented and synthesized.
Assumption validation
What did real users confirm? What changed? What new angles emerged? This is where the early strategy gets pressure-tested against reality, and where pivots happen if they need to.
Pivot or proceed
Sometimes interviews surface a more immediate problem or a stronger angle. We flag those moments and make the call together on how to proceed.
MVP scope definition
After validation, we narrow ruthlessly. What must exist in version one? What gets cut? What gets phased? The goal is the smallest thing that proves the core value.
Information architecture
How is the product structured? What are the main areas, how do they connect, and what does the user journey look like from onboarding through core loop?
Wireflows
Lo-fidelity, phased wireframes that map the MVP rollout in manageable steps. Not a design deliverable, a thinking artifact. A designer picks this up and opens Figma on day one with no ambiguity.
Prototype testing
One more round of testing, not for design feedback, but to confirm the wireflows solve the right problem and make sense to a real user. We document what worked, what didn't, and what to adjust.
Findings Report Part 2
What real users actually need. What changed from the original assumptions. What to build first. A tested, scoped, investor-ready plan your dev team can execute without guessing.
What comes next
Hand the wireflows to a designer. They'll have everything they need: structure, user flows, MVP scope. No briefing from scratch. From there the designer brings the visual layer:
— Branding & visual identity
— Copy & messaging
— Iconography & imagery
— A polished, interactive prototype
"I've seen founders take that prototype to investors and raise capital before writing a single line of code."
— Jessica Morales, Founder of Design Labs Consulting
Common questions
Things founders usually ask.
Do I need a fully formed idea to start?
No. You need a problem you believe is worth solving and a sense of who has it. The Discovery Sprint is designed to pressure-test early-stage thinking: not validate a finished concept.
What happens after the Discovery Sprint?
You'll receive Findings Report Part 1. If the findings support moving forward, we'll scope and propose Product Strategy based on what we found. You're never locked in. Some engagements end at the sprint and that's a win.
Do you do design or development?
No. DLC's scope ends at a tested, scoped wireflow. Clients who need design or development after Product Strategy are referred to trusted partners. Keeping execution out of scope is what keeps the strategy honest.
How is this different from hiring a consultant hourly?
Hourly pricing penalizes being fast. It puts a meter on thinking and communicates that judgment is a commodity measured in time. DLC charges fixed fees because what you're buying is the outcome, not the hours.
What if my idea needs to change completely?
That's the job. The pivot conversation is one of the most valuable things DLC does. You'll leave with a reframe, the evidence behind it, and a clear path forward.
Not sure where to start?
Start with the Discovery Sprint. A few days and $2,500 to know exactly what to build or whether to build it at all.
Fixed fee. No hourly billing. No long-term commitment required.